


Away From Prying Eyes

by Soapbubblesoul



Series: Uncut Ties [5]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon, Canon Compliant, Drabble Collection, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-09 19:08:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13487919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soapbubblesoul/pseuds/Soapbubblesoul
Summary: A collection of small oneshots and drabbles set in canon-verse, originally posted to my twitter.





	1. When The Smoke Clears

"You and I, against the world."

When everything seems too much, Yifan clings to the words, as if they're his lifeline.

He still remembers everything as clearly as if it had been just yesterday. Yixing's voice had been so calm, so sure, and Yifan had wondered if it shouldn't have been his part to sound so convinced. The airport around them had been quiet, deserted in the middle of the night as no planes were leaving or arriving. They had taken refuge a private, secluded area in the VIP lounge during their layover--their last refuge together before they'd have to board separate planes the next morning.

The grip of Yixing's hand had been warm, yet tight, and Yifan remembers the tears shining in Yixing's eyes as he watched so intensely as if he was trying to burn the sight into his mind. And Yifan had felt breathless with emotions, even after all the years. So he had lifted his head from Yixing's shoulder and had leaned up to gently kiss Yixing.

"Yes. You and I, against the world," He had whispered back.

It hadn't been a declaration of war against the world, it wasn't supposed to mean that they would start a fight against everything that is keeping them apart. Rather, it had been a reassurance. They had each other, and they would stand with each other, even if things should go downhill. Through all the highs, and especially the lows, they had held on, and they would continue to hold on.

Parting is always the hardest part, especially when they managed to make a getaway to where they could freely walk the streets, openly holding hands and sneaking kisses without a care in the world. Yifan didn't want to let go of Yixing when the sun eventually rose. They hadn't gotten a wisp of sleep all night. Sleep could always be caught up on once they had parted, but as long as they were together, they wanted to soak up each other's presence. Yifan had long since memorised the sound of Yixing's breathing, the sweetness of his smell and the softness of his fingertips, yet he could spend hours in silence, listening to Yixing breathe, inhaling his scent and feeling Yixing's soft, mindless caresses.

At the terminal, Yifan had been the one to hold Yixing tighter, while Yixing had balled his hands into Yifan's shirt and buried his nose in the crook of Yifan's neck. He had looked so impossibly small in the oversized sweater of Yifan's he was wearing, and Yifan's heart had ached.

For Yifan, that moment had been the hardest to bear in months, having to watch Yixing board the plane back to China while he got onto a domestic flight back to LA.

Yet, Yifan cherishes the memory of that early morning at the terminal, as contradictory as the emotions that it carries are. He is fed up with the constant feeling of loss, of longing, but remembering that night also gives him strength. Yixing's words give him strength. 

Yixing gives him strength.

And the conviction that, sooner or later, things will blow over. They will be able to interact publicly again, and even if it might only be as friends, it would mean a little less sneaking around. And then a bit longer still, and they might be in a position where they won't have to hide anymore at all.

The way is bound to be rocky, mindsets don't change overnight, and they also don’t change within a few years, but even if it will mean an uproar when they no longer hide, neither of them will be alone in it. And eventually, when the smoke will have cleared, they'll still be standing strong.

Together.


	2. Two Fingers On Your Wrist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yixing and Yifan have their very own ways of saying "I love you".

It's Yixing's first time to Canada, and Yixing is excited about everything. They started their trip in Vancouver, to pay a visit to Yifan's mother. She is always excited to be able to house her son and his boyfriend, and Yixing found himself smothered in motherly love for a whole week. It was wonderful.   
  
When they went to the aquarium, Yifan grabbed his hand and didn't let go, even when Yixing would stop at every single tank to watch the fishes in fascination. And in the souvenir store at the end, he secretly bought the shark plushie Yixing couldn't stop eyeing. That night, when Yixing came back into the guestroom Yifan's mother had prepared for them, the shark was sitting on the pillow, waiting for him.    
  
During the road trip up to the various national parks they wanted to visit, the shark was Yixing's cuddling buddy when Yifan was busy driving. Yixing also had a license, but he never got a lot of actual driving practice, and since Yifan didn't only have more experience, but also vaguely knew the roads they had to take, it hadn't been difficult to decide who would be sat behind the steering wheel.   
  
They visited the Jasper National Park, and the Banff National Park and Yixing had to ask multiple times to pinch him because surely he must be asleep. The beauty of the Canadian nature kept Yixing in a state of constant wonder, and even though he had been to gorgeous landmarks in China and other countries as well, it was nothing he had ever seen before. At night, when they were lying snuggled together in their cabin, Yixing would keep excitedly recounting what they had seen, until Yifan would shut him up with kisses. Then he'd look at Yixing in the darkness of the room, and tell him how glad he is they managed to come out to the national parks because he can't imagine a prettier sight than the way Yixing's eyes sparkle for the entirety of their trip.   
  
Yixing was reluctant to leave the national parks behind in favour of heading back to Vancouver, but he knew that they couldn't stay forever. For the last leg of their travel, they'll catch a plane to Toronto so they can visit the Niagara falls. It will mean that there's only a few days left before they return to China and to their everyday life, but Yixing doesn't want to think about that yet.   
  
Right now, he's too busy basking in Yifan's closeness. They're standing in a corner of a small observation deck along the Capilano suspension bridge, and Yixing is pretty much tucked into Yifan's side while Yifan's hands are resting on the railing on either side of Yixing. Yifan, as the local tour guide he's declared himself to be, is telling Yixing about why the area is called Capilano, and how the original name, Kia’palano, means  _ beautiful river _ .    
  
Yixing listens, full of fascination. With strangers, Yifan can be incredibly silent, but once he's with Yixing, he can talk for hours on end. It's so endearing to witness, especially to see the passion with which Yifan imparts his knowledge about the flora and fauna that surround them. He's facing towards the treetops in front of them, and where the ground dips to make way for the beautiful river in question. Yixing, however, is watching Yifan instead to not miss a single thing that he says.   
  
Just as Yixing thinks that he now understands what Yifan meant, that night at the cabin in the national park, Yifan turns to look back at him. There's a natural lull in his explanations, but Yixing expects him to pick right up where he left off. Instead, Yifan leans down to kiss him.   
  
The press of their lips is soft and unhurried. It leaves slightly Yixing confused because he doesn't get why Yifan would kiss him all of a sudden when all he did was listen to him speak. At the same time, he's caught off-guard because Yifan never kisses him in public just like that. When they're alone, at home, sure. Yifan will peck Yixing's hair when passing by him on the way to the kitchen, and he'll grab Yixing by the waist and pull him closer for proper kisses when they're cleaning up their flat together. But it doesn't happen in public, because they can't be seen as a couple in public.   
  
"You looked so cute I couldn't resist," Yifan explains, when he pulls back, but he doesn't look at all as if he just did something incredibly daring.

Then Yixing remembers that they are not in China, and here, Yifan can actually just kiss him in public whenever he feels like it. Even after almost a month in Canada, Yixing still hasn't fully grasped that freedom.    


He still expects to be left with the tickling sensation of two fingers brushing against his wrist rather than tingling lips. When they really want to kiss the other, but can't because they're in public, they'll instead gently brush two fingers against the skin of the other's wrist. It's an innocent enough gesture to not garner any attention, but the touch has a very different, very intimate meaning for them. It's their way of "kissing" in public when they're in China.   
  
But this is not China. And right here, right now, Yixing doesn't have to make do with gestures with hidden meanings. He can be blunt. He can just do exactly what he feels like doing. And so he does.   
  
Yixing smiles up at Yifan, dimple and all. Then he leans up to kiss Yifan as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by [this tweet](https://twitter.com/xo10xo28/status/953327301877383168). I saw it and my brain ran with “imagine Fanxing”, so that’s how they’re supposed to be stood in that last scene.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the song “[Smoke Clears](https://youtu.be/MJsd9CNHizc)” by Andy Grammer  
> I highly recommend listening to it, the Fanxing feels are real.


End file.
